Cannabis prohibition is a failed public policy wherever it exists and in any form that it exists. Countless people have been harmed by cannabis prohibition enforcement since it was implemented across the globe in the early 1900s.

Thankfully, an increasing number of jurisdictions are modernizing their laws to permit cannabis activity, but it certainly isn’t enough. Cannabis advocates around the world need to keep fighting for cannabis reform until all adult consumers and suffering patients of all ages can live without the fear of prosecution or stigma.

The University of Sydney recently held a symposium that facilitated a discussion about the harms of cannabis prohibition and the need for a more sensible approach to cannabis laws and regulations. Sean Hocking, publisher of the Cannabis Law Report, was the symposium’s host, which was co-organized by the International Cannabis Quality Standards Association.

“The event was co-hosted by ICQSA (International Cannabis Quality Standards Association) executive director Atiyyah Ferouz, who explained that the focus of the event involved the burgeoning global cannabis market, the disparate and broken cannabis laws across multiple nations, the UN conventions governing drug prohibition worldwide and the need to produce international standards.” reported Sydney Criminal Lawyers in its coverage of the symposium.

“Broken cannabis laws, along with drug prohibition in general, were repeatedly raised as being in crisis during the meet, as academics, lawyers and politicians all agreed that a regulated adult cannabis market should be established locally to stop the primary harms associated with the plant, which are criminal justice-related, as well as to uphold basic rights around cannabis consumption.” the outlet also reported.

The symposium featured a wide range of speakers, from sitting lawmakers to academic professors. Many of them echoed the same sentiment, that cannabis prohibition is harmful, and that the end of cannabis prohibition is inevitable.

Currently, cannabis is legal at a national level for adult use in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Starting in January, adult-use cannabis will also be legal nationwide in the Czech Republic. Regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and two dozen states in the U.S. have adopted recreational cannabis legalization.

Medical cannabis reform is much more widespread across the globe, with several dozen countries having adopted some form of medical cannabis legalization, ranging from limited CBD-only models to more robust models that permit sales of all types of medical cannabis products.